Stratigizing
by Nara1991
Summary: His life was not turning out the way he had planned, not when Ino Yamanaka was an integral part of it. Shikaino oneshot.


Disclaimer: All rights belong, and are reserved to Kishimoto, and/or their respective owners. I do not own anything Naruto related. This one shot does not have a Beta Reader.

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Strategizing

_If I had the chance to __start again__, __then you would be the one I'd come and find__. __Like the poster of Berlin on my wall__, __maybe there's a chance our walls might fall. _

Athlete – Chances. _  
_

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Having a woman in the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation was always going to a proverbial spanner in the works.

And no woman was more troublesome, than Ino Yamanaka.

Both heads of their respective clans now, with their Fathers untimely passing's they had kept it secret – well, tried to. Not there was much to 'keep secret', anyway. They'd occasionally fool around together before and after missions. Never during, not that the troublesome woman hadn't tried that on occasion.

Clan members spoke though, on both sides. Voicing their disapproval of their association beyond anything team mate related – inciting them as being dangerously close to ending generations of the Ino-Shika-Cho assemble, among other things. That their late Father's would not approve…. The pair of them hadn't cared what the rumour mill consisted of though, only they knew the truth of it all. Straight up sex, no strings attached…mostly, he didn't have an interest in any other woman after all, and the same could be said of Ino too, in that respect.

That was until the day she came to him, with news that changed everything.

"I'm pregnant, Shikamaru."

"You're…You're what? Preg-..?"

"Pregnant, yes. Is that genius head of yours functioning properly today? Preg-nant."

Silence.

She waved her hand impatiently in front of his blank face.

"Helllloooo!? Did you hear me? That means! 9 months of hell, a big fat stomach, stretch marks, back pain, incurable cravings for silly things…!"

"I know what being pregnant means, Ino."

"So?"

"…."

"You do realise it's yours, don't you?"

The Nara sighed heavily. "Yes…My Mother is going to kill me…"

Gradually she had gotten bigger, and people had begun to talk, no amount of baggy clothing was able to hide it any longer, and he was now outside a hospital waiting room. At 6 months Ino was already nearing 'the waddling stage', which did not bode well on her already volatile, hormone-induced temper. In the space of an hour and a half that morning, they'd already managed to get in four separate arguments; the last before they'd left Yamanaka flowers for the hospital, had resulted in her jamming a geranium up his nose. He rubbed at the sore spot in memory.

"Troublesome."

"That about sums it up, yes."

The domineering blond with whom his thoughts moments before had resided with, stood over him with her hands over her hips. Ever the observant one, Shikamaru stared at the object poking out of the fingers of her right hand, rather than face whatever wrath he did not deserve.

"Is that-?"

"The scan picture."

Her previous menacing look softened, and she placed it gently in his hands, a smile tugging at her lips.

Shikamaru felt his face fall, along with the contents of his stomach, and something he had seldom experienced; gentle warmth began to spread through his chest.

"Two..twins."

"Uh-huh…I can't believe…" She trailed off, with a small sob.

The troublesome woman was crying now, he sighed heavily and stood up.

"Why are you crying? Are you not happy?"

"Y-yes.." She sniffed. "And that explains why I'm so fat!" The blond wailed loudly.

"Shush woman, you're not fat you're pregnant."

"Yes, and it's all _your _fault!"

_Here we go again with the blame game. _

"I've said I'm sorry Ino, what more do you want?!"

"I- nothing… I think it's the hormones." She stared down at her growing bump, and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about before too, how is your nose?"

"Still sore."

He couldn't very well tell her that the hormones only enhanced what she already possessed, in terms of her temper. It seemed that she was still having an even harder time accepting the truth of the matter, than even him. He was suddenly aware of Inos soft fingertips brushing his cheekbone, she reached up tenderly and tucked a strand of his hair, that had somehow fell out of his immaculate pony tail, back behind his ear. He felt his chest constrict, and his stomach do the smallest of flips…it was times like this, his Father's old words about women showing their gentler side, came back to haunt him.

"Are you happy? That we're having twins?"

"Yes, I suppose I am. It's a first for my family, besides that solves the problem of who will be next in line to either of our clans, now doesn't it?"

She scowled "That isn't very funny, Shikamaru."

He shrugged at his failed joke, and Ino became stern once more.

"Well deer boy, with _two _extra mouths to feed, you best get taking on extra missions, before they get here! Oh! And when you're not working, you can help _me_ in the shop!"

And with that, she swaggered off, leaving the scan picture in his possession. He watched her go, following her until she became caught up in an animated conversation with one of the nurses, and then stared down at the picture again. He grinned, it was certainly helping to reaffirm the fact that he really was going to be a father, that part had finally begun to settle in…

He wondered why he had ended up doing things in reverse with Ino, his plan had been to have at least ten decent years of being a Shinobi, before he even anticipated kids entering the equation. Instead he had managed to mess up the orderly life he had been strategizing for himself, royally.

"Oi, you lazy bum! Are you just going to stand there gawping like a wet fish all day!? We have things to do!"

"Whatever woman, I'm coming. Troublesome…"

He smirked and tucked the picture into his back pocket. Despite all that, he wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
